Climate Preparedness & Resilience

I’ve lived on the West Coast long enough to notice the change myself. Summers are warmer and drier, the dry season seems to last longer, and winters are generally milder than I remember. There seem to be more wild swings from long dry stretches to unusually heavy rain and storms.

Those changes matter to how we plan for Victoria and work with our regional partners. We need to continue preparing for hotter, drier summers and greater drought pressure; heavier winter rain and storms; wildfire smoke; and greater coastal flooding and storm-surge risk. All of this puts greater strain on trees, water systems, roads, buildings and emergency services.

I’m committed to practical preparation: protecting and expanding urban shade, managing water carefully, improving drainage where heavy rain overwhelms existing systems, making public buildings more resilient, planning for smoke and extreme heat, and ensuring emergency plans reflect the conditions Victoria is increasingly likely to face.

These choices involve real costs and trade-offs. I will be clear about what each measure is expected to achieve, what it will cost, and where citizens have a genuine choice about priorities. The same citizens-first approach should apply here: give people the facts, be honest about the choices, and listen before major commitments are made.

Climate preparedness is about looking after one another: protecting the people most at risk, strengthening the services we all rely on, and leaving a safer, more resilient Victoria to the next generation.

Victoria has already reduced emissions and has climate programs underway. I will build on effective work rather than starting over for the sake of appearing new.

I expect our next steps to focus on practical measures where the City can make a real difference.

This includes building efficiency, City facilities and operations, lower-carbon building and energy systems where they are technically and economically sound, and a transportation system that reduces wasted trips, delay and unnecessary idling across the whole network.

Transportation decisions also have climate consequences: where particular street or cycling designs may be creating avoidable congestion and leaving vehicles sitting longer, we should measure the effects, including emissions, and be willing to fix designs that are producing poorer overall results.

The same whole-system thinking should guide our other climate investments: look for measures that cut emissions, strengthen resilience, make daily life better and help avoid bigger costs later.

The best climate investments can do more than one job. It is like improving a home: if you have to replace or upgrade something anyway, it makes sense to choose an option that also lowers the power bill, lasts longer or prevents a bigger repair later. City Hall should think the same way.

Better shade reduces heat risk and makes streets more comfortable. More efficient public buildings cut emissions and operating costs. Better rainwater management does several jobs at once. It reduces local flooding and polluted runoff into the ocean. Continuing to repair leaky sewer pipes and cross-connections helps keep rainwater out of the wastewater system and helps reduce wet-weather overflows into our coastal waters.

That is the kind of climate investment I favour: solve the immediate problem, protect infrastructure and the environment, and reduce bigger costs later.

I want climate spending to deliver value people can see and feel: a safer city, stronger infrastructure, lower operating costs where possible, and fewer expensive problems left for the future.

As Mayor, I will seek public input on major choices and champion good ideas from the Citizens’ Assembly, residents, experts and elsewhere. I will support strong, practical measures that reduce emissions and climate risk, strengthen public infrastructure and services, and make Victoria more resilient. I will make sure major climate investments come with clear public reporting so people can see what was achieved and we can keep improving what works.

As Mayor, I want Victorians to be able to see the progress we are making. Are emissions falling? Are our buildings and infrastructure becoming more resilient? Are people better protected from heat, smoke and extreme weather? Are our investments producing the benefits we promised?

When something works, I will build on it. When it falls short, I will be open about that and work to improve it.

Climate action should leave Victoria cleaner, safer, more resilient and better prepared for the future.